![Falcon's Crown: Kidnapped [e-book edition]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhkBe00FOeBBmYbVCCTcdazS0iVnLd1WDFAqgsN2RZ54_2mWSQGowpbpnwmDREb-FVVk6AGpaGBEGezxxmeNm1qq65js_RZsBYwu6E6-3ucp3_YQyONvEK3NuIInA3Ru_cqrfm_JizezcrwPiewPQwunSXPJG1OI38N9mQwxOeGd4SvcPUf-DtO7FLMVcg=s238)
Comments welcome, desired. This won't stay up long. If you miss it, you miss it.
Outside Pressure and Identity
Sociologists tell us that to endure,
groups must be cohesive. The basis for cohesion is a clear set of values and
goals. Some sociologists see this as a
revelation from the late 19th Century. It is, in fact, a common observation
repeated through centuries of human history. An example is Benjamin Franklin’s ‘We
must all hang together, or most assuredly we will all hang separately.’
Probably apocryphal, this aphorism reflects this. To endure, a group opposing
the dominant order must clearly define their values and beliefs. There must be
a shared understanding and a clearly stated record of beliefs. This created a
shared identity.
Remainder of this post has been deleted.
2 comments:
The quote from Charles C. Cook about "unregenerate" people being particularly interested in the message, as Bruce pointed out, is extremely misleading, and Cook probably wanted to make Watch Tower readers feel that they really unrepentant sinners who wanted to be excused from their sins, either now or in the next world. As I mentioned in an earlier comment, in my youth in the 1960s and 1970s, I knew dozens of elderly Bible Students from the Russell era, and the last adjective I would use to describe any of them would be "unregenerate". All of them were kind, gracious, moral, ethical, honest, genuine souls who were keenly interested in truth. Conversations with them almost always revealed a sincere interest in the well-being of others, and I never detected in any of them even a hint of selfishness. If you have access to the Russell-era Watchtowers, pay particular attention to the "Interesting Letters" published. As much as I admire the writing of Russell and his contributors, my favorite part of those old Watchtowers is the "Letters" section. Thanks to Bruce and those who support him in his work for this incredible and long-overdue research.
This is a fascinating area of study that much interests me. Thank you Bruce.
I would agree with Andrew’s summation of elderly Bible Student’s I too can recall from the 1960s and 1970s.
Post a Comment